Knowledge is an ocean and a few drops just aren’t enough. -Unknown

It is related that a noted Muslim scholar Abdullah bin Mubarak, had a dream while he was sleeping near the
Kaaba.

Abdullah bin Mubarak saw two angels’ descend from the sky, and start talking to each other.

One of the angels asked the other: “Do you know howmany people have come for Hajj this year?”

The other angel replied: “Six hundred thousand have come for Hajj.”

Abdullah bin Mubarak had also gone for Hajj that year.

The first angel asked: “How many people’s Hajj has been accepted?”

The second replied: “I wonder if anyone’s Hajj has been accepted at all.”

Abdullah bin Mubarak was grieved to hear that. He thought, “So many people have come from all over the world, crossing so many obstacles like rivers, jungles, mountains, suffered so many hardships, and meeting so many expenses. Would their effort be wasted? Allah does not let anyone’s effort go to waste”.

He had thought only so far when he heard the other angel speak: “There is a cobbler in Damascus. His name is Ali bin al-Mufiq. He could not come for Hajj, but Allah has accepted his intention of Hajj. Not only will he get the reward for Hajj, but because of him, all the Hajjis will be rewarded.

When Abdullah bin Mubarak woke up, he decided he would go to Damascus and meet that cobbler whose Hajj
intentions carried such a lot of weight.

On reaching Damascus, Abdullah bin Mubarak inquired if anyone knew a cobbler named Ali bin al-Mufiq. The town people directed him to a house. When a man appeared from the house Abdullah bin Mubarak greeted him and asked his name. The man replied “Ali bin al-Mufiq”.

Abdullah bin Mubarak asked: “What do you do for a living?”

Ali replied: “I am a cobbler”. Then Ali asked the stranger’s name that had come looking for him.

Abdullah bin Mubarak was a very well-known scholar of Islam, when Abdullah bin Mubarak introduced himself, the cobbler was anxious to find out why such a well known scholar was seeking him out.

When Abdullah bin Mubarak asked Ali to tell him if he had made any plans to go for Hajj. Ali replied “For thirty years I have lived in the hope of performing the Hajj. This year I had saved enough to go for Hajj, but Allah did not will it, so I couldn’t make my intention translate into action.”

Abdullah bin Mubarak was eager to find out how could this man’s Hajj be accepted and blessed for all the people who went for Hajj that year when he didn’t go for Hajj in the first place. While talking to the cobbler he could feel a certain purity in his heart. Islam regards greatness not in wealth or in power, but in civility, in good manners and the goodness of heart.

Abdullah bin Mubarak further asked: “why could you not go on Hajj?”. In order not to disclose the reason, Ali
again replied “it was Allah’s will”.

When Abdullah bin Mubarak persisted, Ali revealed: “Once I went to see my neighbor’s house. His family was just sitting down for dinner. Although I was not hungry I thought my neighbor would invite me to sit down for dinner out of courtesy but I could see that my neighbor was grieved about something and wanted to avoid inviting me for dinner.”

After some hesitation the neighbor told me: “I am sorry I cannot invite you for food. We were without food for three days and I could not bear to see the pain of hunger of my children. I went out looking for food today and found a dead donkey. In my desperation I cut out some meat from the dead animal, and brought it home so that my wife could cook this meat. It is halal (lawful or permitted) for us because of our extreme condition of hunger, but I cannot offer it to you.”

Ali continued: “On hearing this, my heart bled with tears. I got up and went home, collected the three thousand dinars I had saved for Hajj, and gave my neighbor the money. I too had to go hungry but that was to save money for Hajj, but I thought helping my neighbor during his difficult times was more important. Although I still desire to go for Hajj if Allah wills.”

Abdullah bin Mubarak was greatly inspired by the cobbler’s story and told the cobbler of his dream.

God is merciful and shows mercy to those who do likewise to his creatures. This act of compassion on the part of the cobbler was so pleasing to God that it not only earned him the reward of Hajj but was extended to all the people who came for Hajj.

Hajj is a journey that can ignite the soul to be reminded of the time it was created and takes it beyond the dimensions of this life to the time it will meet the creator.

The sincere performance of Hajj can transcend a person’s day to day life into a spiritual awakening of the highest magnitude. A successful Hajj experience connects us to our creator and the greater compassion of humanity.

Apart from your relatives and friends, all Muslims in general have certain rights over you. Allaamah Subhaani in `Targheeb wa Targheeb’ has mentioned them on the authority of Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Anhu) to be:

1. Forgive the fault of your Muslim brother

2. Have compassion during their grief and crying.

3. Hide their faults.

4. Accept their excuse.

5. Remove any trouble or difficulty, which has befallen them.

6. Always desire good for them.

7. Guard the love they have for you.

8. Be mindful of their rights.

9. If they are sick then visit them.

10. If they pass away then attend their funeral (Janaaza).

11. Accept their invitation (Da’waat).

12. Accept the gifts they send to you.

13. Return the good they do to you.

14. Be grateful to them for their favours to you.

15. When the occasion arises, assist them.

16. Protect and look after their household and families.

17. Assist them in their need.

18. Listen to their requests.

19. Accept their intercession on behalf of others.

20. Do not make them despair from achieving their aims.

21. When they sneeze and say `Alhamdulillah’, then reply by saying ‘Yarhamukallah’.

22. Return their lost goods to them.

23. Reply to their Salaam.

24. Speak to them with kindness and with soft and pleasant words.

25. Be kind and bountiful towards them.

26. If they take a pledge while relying on you, then fulfill their pledge.

27. If someone is oppressing them then assist them; and if they are oppressing someone else then stop them.

28. Have love for them and do not have enmity with them.

29. Do not degrade them.

30. Whatever you desire for yourself, desire the same for them.

In other Hadiths this too has been added:

31. At the time when meeting them then make Salaam; and if you shake their hands then that will be better.

32. If coincidently you become angry with someone, then do not stop speaking to him for more than three days.

33. Do not be suspicious or doubt him.

34. Do not be jealous or have enmity and hatred towards him.

35. As far as possible command good and forbid him from evil.

36. Be kind to the young and respect the Elderly.

37. If two Muslims fight then create a truce between them.

38. Do not backbite about him.

39. Do not cause him any harm, neither in his honour nor in his wealth.

40. If he cannot mount his conveyance then give him support and assist him.

41. Do not make him stand up from his place for you to sit down on it.

42. Two people should not speak amongst themselves while leaving a third person out.

An important point to note is that previously all the rights mentioned were for special groups of people. Their rights are over and above and also include the above-mentioned rights.

from the usual depressing and disheartening clips and articles, here is a link from the CNN Heroes special. I had heard of this from a friend and looked it up–I only had a chance to watch this clip, but I am sure the others are wonderful as well. It is nice to see people doing good things in the world. Alhamdulillah.

"We have devoted our lives to seeking knowledge of the heart; knowledge that will carry us to our soul’s destination. Your minds have limits but not your hearts, for they are receptacles of endless capacity. But, you must open your hearts to this knowledge, as nothing may pass through what is closed.”

If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.- Isaac Asimov